US20080210291A1 - Solar collector and photovoltaic converter - Google Patents
Solar collector and photovoltaic converter Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20080210291A1 US20080210291A1 US11/713,225 US71322507A US2008210291A1 US 20080210291 A1 US20080210291 A1 US 20080210291A1 US 71322507 A US71322507 A US 71322507A US 2008210291 A1 US2008210291 A1 US 2008210291A1
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- United States
- Prior art keywords
- solar collector
- enclosure
- photovoltaic
- photovoltaic converter
- solar
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- 239000012530 fluid Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 30
- 230000005855 radiation Effects 0.000 claims description 18
- XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N water Substances O XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 18
- 230000005611 electricity Effects 0.000 claims description 7
- 238000001914 filtration Methods 0.000 claims description 6
- 239000012780 transparent material Substances 0.000 claims description 6
- 239000004904 UV filter Substances 0.000 claims description 5
- 238000009434 installation Methods 0.000 claims description 5
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 claims description 5
- 238000001228 spectrum Methods 0.000 claims description 4
- 238000004146 energy storage Methods 0.000 claims description 2
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- 238000013021 overheating Methods 0.000 description 3
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Images
Classifications
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H01L31/00—Semiconductor devices sensitive to infrared radiation, light, electromagnetic radiation of shorter wavelength or corpuscular radiation and specially adapted either for the conversion of the energy of such radiation into electrical energy or for the control of electrical energy by such radiation; Processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment thereof or of parts thereof; Details thereof
- H01L31/04—Semiconductor devices sensitive to infrared radiation, light, electromagnetic radiation of shorter wavelength or corpuscular radiation and specially adapted either for the conversion of the energy of such radiation into electrical energy or for the control of electrical energy by such radiation; Processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment thereof or of parts thereof; Details thereof adapted as photovoltaic [PV] conversion devices
- H01L31/054—Optical elements directly associated or integrated with the PV cell, e.g. light-reflecting means or light-concentrating means
- H01L31/0547—Optical elements directly associated or integrated with the PV cell, e.g. light-reflecting means or light-concentrating means comprising light concentrating means of the reflecting type, e.g. parabolic mirrors, concentrators using total internal reflection
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
- F24S—SOLAR HEAT COLLECTORS; SOLAR HEAT SYSTEMS
- F24S23/00—Arrangements for concentrating solar-rays for solar heat collectors
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- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
- Y02E—REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
- Y02E10/00—Energy generation through renewable energy sources
- Y02E10/40—Solar thermal energy, e.g. solar towers
- Y02E10/44—Heat exchange systems
-
- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
- Y02E—REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
- Y02E10/00—Energy generation through renewable energy sources
- Y02E10/50—Photovoltaic [PV] energy
- Y02E10/52—PV systems with concentrators
Definitions
- This invention relates generally a solar collector with a concentrating reflective surface with a static fluid IR filter attached to the bottom of a transparent enclosure with a photovoltaic converter device or cell mounted to the under side of the top of a transparent enclosure.
- Photovoltaic device surfaces need to remain relatively cool to operate at maximum efficiency. There is a narrow spectrum of photon wavelengths that trigger a generation of electricity event when they impact the surface of photovoltaic device. All the photons in the tails of that spectrum outside the electricity generation segment only cause unwanted heating of the photovoltaic device, reducing its efficiency.
- solar collectors use many different methods to avoid overheating of photovoltaic devices. Some use expensive Fresnel lenses to reflect the longer wavelengths that are not convertible by the cell away from the photovoltaic device and only serve to heat the photovoltaic device. Others pump a fluid such as water between the source and the reflector or between the cell and the reflector that will absorb the infrared spectrum, heating the fluid.
- the general object of the present invention is to provide an economical solar collector and conversion apparatus.
- the specific objective of this invention is to provide a very low cost system for the generation of sufficient power to provide for the basic needs of a family in remote undeveloped regions of the world or for first responders in emergency relief of victims of hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes or tsunamis where there are sure to be significant power outages that:
- FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a solar collector and photovoltaic converter showing an earth mounted embodiment.
- FIG. 2 is a section view of same.
- FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of a solar collector and photovoltaic converter showing a floating on water embodiment.
- FIG. 4 is a section view of same.
- FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of FIG. 4 showing solar radiation entrance, reflection and escape patterns.
- solar collector and photovoltaic converter 12 bottom enclosure 14 bottom reflective inner surface 16 long wave length filter packet 18 filter fluid 20 photovoltaic device 22 output cable 24 top reflective inner surface 26 inflation valve 28 top enclosure 30 A solar ray directly reflected to photovoltaic device 30 B solar ray indirectly reflected to photovoltaic device 30 C solar ray escaping collector 32 mounting skirt 34 inlet window 36 UV filter
- FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of solar collector and photovoltaic converter 10 for a land based fixed location mounting. It is comprised of bottom enclosure 12 that is open to the top with a bottom reflective inner surface 14 . This bottom reflective inner surface 14 takes on the shape of bottom enclosure 12 .
- Top Enclosure 28 is a transparent hemisphere with the same outside diameter as bottom enclosure 12 .
- Top reflective inner surface 24 covers the inside of top enclosure 28 with the exception of inlet window 34 .
- Photovoltaic device 20 is mounted toward the inside top of top enclosure 28 .
- FIG. 2 is a view of a section through solar collector and photovoltaic converter 10 . It shows long wavelength filter packet 16 that conforms to the inner surface of bottom enclosure 12 .
- Long wavelength filter packet 16 is a sealed packet of transparent flexible or rigid material filled with filter fluid 18 . If filter fluid 18 is water, a depth of approximately 1 ⁇ 2 inch is sufficient to filter out most of the radiation above 1.2 microns. Since solar rays 30 pass through filter fluid 18 the second time as they are reflected back through filter packet 16 , a 1 ⁇ 4 inch deep filter packet 16 will suffice.
- Red, yellow, green and UV rays below 0.35 microns are also non-convertible by photovoltaic cells and can be filtered out by admixing appropriate dyes with filter fluid 18 if required for high concentration ratio solar collector and photovoltaic converters 10 .
- Another embodiment covers entrance window 34 with thin film UV filter 36 for even higher concentration ratio solar collector and photovoltaic converters 10 as shown in enlarged view in FIG. 5 .
- the height of entrance window 34 ranges from approximately 30 degrees to 47 degrees. It is positioned on the face of solar collector and converter 10 at predetermined optimal positions based on where it will be utilized, to compensate for variations in the angles of incidence of solar rays 30 for various latitudes.
- the width of the entrance window 34 ranges from approximately 120 degrees to 200 degrees to allow for the daily variations of the angles of incidence in a land based system.
- FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment of solar collector and photovoltaic converter 10 for a water based mounting. It is comprised of bottom enclosure 12 that is open to the top with a bottom reflective inner surface 14 . This reflective inner surface 14 takes on the shape of bottom enclosure 12 .
- Top enclosure 28 is a transparent hemisphere with the same outside diameter as bottom enclosure 12 .
- Top reflective inner surface 24 covers the inside of top enclosure 28 with the exception of inlet window 34 which runs completely around the circumference of top reflective inner surface 24 . It is positioned on the face of solar collector and converter 10 at predetermined optimal positions based on where it will be utilized, to compensate for variations in the angles of incidence of solar rays 30 for various latitudes.
- Photovoltaic device 20 is mounted toward the inside top of top enclosure 28 .
- FIG. 4 is a view of a section through solar collector and photovoltaic converter 10 .
- FIG. 4 shows long wavelength filter packet 16 that conforms to the inner surface of bottom enclosure 12 .
- Long wave length filter packet 16 is a sealed packet of transparent flexible or rigid material filled with filter fluid 18 . If filter fluid 18 is water, a depth of approximately 1 ⁇ 2 inch is sufficient to filter out most of the radiation above 1.2 microns. Since solar rays 30 pass through filter fluid 18 the second time as they are reflected back through filter packet 16 , a 1 ⁇ 4 inch deep filter packet 16 will suffice. Red, yellow, green and UV rays below 0.35 microns are also non-convertible by photovoltaic cells and can be filtered out by admixing appropriate dyes with filter fluid 18 .
- top enclosure 28 and bottom enclosure 12 are made from a rigid transparent material. In another they are made from a flexible material and the interior of the enclosure is inflated with a gas to give it shape. Inflation valve 26 is shown installed in top enclosure 28 for that purpose. In all embodiments output cable 22 is shown running from photovoltaic device 20 though top enclosure 28 and connecting to either an energy storage device or directly to a power consuming device such as a light, fan, cellular phone charger, etc, not shown in the drawings or part of this invention.
- Standard photovoltaic devices 20 are able to convert photons of wave lengths between 0.35 and 1.2 microns to electricity. If the full spectrum of solar radiation were to impinge on the front surface of photovoltaic device 20 , the photons above and below this range would only serve to heat the photovoltaic device 20 , significantly reducing the efficiency with which it converts solar radiation 30 to electricity.
- FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of solar collector and photovoltaic converter 10 with mounting skirt 32 attached to the bottom of bottom enclosure 12 .
- This embodiment is designed for a ground installation.
- a clearing is constructed of sufficient diameter that solar radiation 30 is not blocked from inlet window 34 by surrounding buildings or vegetation.
- Solar collector and photovoltaic converter 10 is then placed on a bare patch of earth or sand with inlet window 34 facing in a southerly direction for a northern hemispheric location or a northern facing location for a southern hemispherical location.
- Rocks, dirt or other routine anchor mechanisms can be utilized to hold mounting skirt 32 in contact with the ground and keep solar collector and photovoltaic converter 10 in proper alignment.
- the earth, shaded by solar collector and photovoltaic converter 10 makes a very good heat sink for the heat energy absorbed by fluid 18 in filter packet 16 .
- FIG. 3 shows solar collector and photovoltaic converter 10 floating on a body of water.
- inlet window 34 runs completely around top enclosure 28 since it is very difficult to maintain a South or North facing attitude with a floating on water installation.
- Incoming solar rays 30 penetrate transparent top enclosure 28 through inlet window 34 and pass through long wave filter packet 16 which is approximately 1 ⁇ 4 inch thick and made from a either rigid or flexible transparent material.
- a filter fluid 18 such as water will absorb most of the long wavelength radiation or infrared radiation above 1.2 microns that would heat the photovoltaic device 20 .
- Solar rays 30 pass through filter packet 16 , reflect off of bottom reflective inner surface 14 , and pass back through filter fluid 18 .
- red, yellow, green radiation and ultraviolet radiation below 0.35 microns can be filtered out by adding the appropriate dyes to filter fluid 18 .
- FIGS. 1 and 3 show section views of solar collector and photovoltaic converters 10 with inlet windows 34 that have been tailored to a latitude approximately midway in the US.
- One of the objectives of this invention is a completely static system with no moving parts in order to retain scalability of the system without having to consider large motors embodied in a solar tracking system and to maintain the possibility of low to no maintenance.
- a practical system depends on reflective surfaces 14 and 24 , covering the inside of bottom and top enclosures 12 and 28 respectively with the exception of inlet window 34 whose height is determined by the seasonal variation in the incidence angle of solar radiation at a given latitude.
- the width of window 34 ranges from approximately 120 degrees to 200 degrees for a fixed position land based solar collector and photovoltaic converter 10 as in FIGS. 1 and 2 and is circumferential for water mounted installations as in FIGS. 3-5 .
- FIG. 5 shows incident solar rays 30 A, 30 B and 30 C entering through entrance window 34 of cross sectional area X.
- Solar ray 30 A penetrates transparent top enclosure 28 and UV filter 36 if present and the transparent material of top side wall of filter packet 16 ; passes through filter fluid 18 which absorbs about 50% of its long wave length radiation; penetrates the transparent material of bottom side wall of filter packet 16 ; is reflected from bottom reflective inner surface 14 ; passes back through filter packet 26 , filter fluid 18 and filter packet 16 giving up almost the remainder of its long wave radiation and impinges on the active face of photovoltaic device 20 .
- Solar ray 30 B will continue bouncing about the inside bottom enclosure 12 and top enclosure 28 until it either hits the face of photovoltaic device 20 causing an electricity generating event or as solar ray 30 C illustrates, escapes back out inlet window 34 .
- the percentage of incoming light escaping randomly is roughly the ratio of cross sectional area X of inlet window 34 to the total surface area of the bottom and top reflective inner surfaces Y.
- the concentrating factor of the device is the cross sectional area X ⁇ X/Y divided by the cross sectional area of the photovoltaic device Z.
- the bandwidth of acceptable light incident on photovoltaic device 20 without causing overheating is determined by the concentration factor of solar collector and photovoltaic converter 10 .
- FIG. 5 shows the installation of UV filter 36 attached to the underside of inlet window 34 for such a case.
- a serendipitous effect of solar collector and photovoltaic converter 10 is the sterilizing effect that it has on filter water when sunlight is allowed to pass though it for several hours.
- long wavelength filter packet can be drained of potable water and refilled several times per day providing again a subsistence level of potable water.
Abstract
This invention relates generally to a solar collector and photovoltaic converter with a concentrating reflective inner surface with a static fluid filter attached to the bottom half of a enclosure with a photovoltaic converter cell mounted to the under side of the hemi-spherical transparent top half of the enclosure.
Description
- 1. Field of Invention
- This invention relates generally a solar collector with a concentrating reflective surface with a static fluid IR filter attached to the bottom of a transparent enclosure with a photovoltaic converter device or cell mounted to the under side of the top of a transparent enclosure.
- 2. Prior Art
- Photovoltaic device surfaces need to remain relatively cool to operate at maximum efficiency. There is a narrow spectrum of photon wavelengths that trigger a generation of electricity event when they impact the surface of photovoltaic device. All the photons in the tails of that spectrum outside the electricity generation segment only cause unwanted heating of the photovoltaic device, reducing its efficiency. Currently solar collectors use many different methods to avoid overheating of photovoltaic devices. Some use expensive Fresnel lenses to reflect the longer wavelengths that are not convertible by the cell away from the photovoltaic device and only serve to heat the photovoltaic device. Others pump a fluid such as water between the source and the reflector or between the cell and the reflector that will absorb the infrared spectrum, heating the fluid. They then reclaim the heat absorbed by the fluid by cycling this heated fluid through some type of heat exchanger using some of the electricity generated by the photovoltaic devices to pump the fluid. Water or a fluid with similar properties at a depth of ½ inch does an excellent job of filtering out the IR wavelength photons. Various dyes can be added to the fluid to also filter out the red, yellow and green wavelength photons which also are not convertible and only add heat. Depending on the concentration ratio which equals approximately the area of photovoltaic device face divided by the area of the inlet window, this may or may not be required. Secondary film filters can also be added to the underside of the inlet window to filter out the UV rays if required. Some do not utilize concentrators but rely on large surface area cells which must be kept clear of dust to be effective.
- The general object of the present invention is to provide an economical solar collector and conversion apparatus.
- The specific objective of this invention is to provide a very low cost system for the generation of sufficient power to provide for the basic needs of a family in remote undeveloped regions of the world or for first responders in emergency relief of victims of hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes or tsunamis where there are sure to be significant power outages that:
-
- 1. serves as a solar collector and power generating apparatus with little to no maintenance required and can generate potable water as a byproduct of its operation.
- 2. serves as a solar collector and power generating apparatus where the photovoltaic device is sheltered from dust and other contaminates.
- 3. serves as a solar collector and power generating apparatus where the portion of the incoming radiation that is of unconvertible wavelengths by a photovoltaic device is filtered prior to impact on the concentrating reflector.
- 4. serves as a solar collector and power generating apparatus where a significant portion of the effective wavelength photons of the impending radiation is reflected onto the face of a photovoltaic device.
- 5. serves as a solar collector and power generating apparatus that can function setting on ground or water.
- In order that the invention may be more fully understood it will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
-
FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a solar collector and photovoltaic converter showing an earth mounted embodiment. -
FIG. 2 is a section view of same. -
FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of a solar collector and photovoltaic converter showing a floating on water embodiment. -
FIG. 4 is a section view of same. -
FIG. 5 is an enlarged view ofFIG. 4 showing solar radiation entrance, reflection and escape patterns. - The same reference numbers are used to refer to the same or similar parts in the various views.
-
10 solar collector and photovoltaic converter 12 bottom enclosure 14 bottom reflective inner surface 16 long wave length filter packet 18 filter fluid 20 photovoltaic device 22 output cable 24 top reflective inner surface 26 inflation valve 28 top enclosure 30 A solar ray directly reflected to photovoltaic device 30 B solar ray indirectly reflected to photovoltaic device 30 C solar ray escaping collector 32 mounting skirt 34 inlet window 36 UV filter - In order that the invention may be more fully understood, solar collector and
photovoltaic converter 10 will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings. -
FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of solar collector andphotovoltaic converter 10 for a land based fixed location mounting. It is comprised ofbottom enclosure 12 that is open to the top with a bottom reflectiveinner surface 14. This bottom reflectiveinner surface 14 takes on the shape ofbottom enclosure 12.Top Enclosure 28 is a transparent hemisphere with the same outside diameter asbottom enclosure 12. Top reflectiveinner surface 24 covers the inside oftop enclosure 28 with the exception ofinlet window 34.Photovoltaic device 20 is mounted toward the inside top oftop enclosure 28. -
FIG. 2 is a view of a section through solar collector andphotovoltaic converter 10. It shows longwavelength filter packet 16 that conforms to the inner surface ofbottom enclosure 12. Longwavelength filter packet 16 is a sealed packet of transparent flexible or rigid material filled withfilter fluid 18. Iffilter fluid 18 is water, a depth of approximately ½ inch is sufficient to filter out most of the radiation above 1.2 microns. Since solar rays 30 pass throughfilter fluid 18 the second time as they are reflected back throughfilter packet 16, a ¼ inchdeep filter packet 16 will suffice. Red, yellow, green and UV rays below 0.35 microns are also non-convertible by photovoltaic cells and can be filtered out by admixing appropriate dyes withfilter fluid 18 if required for high concentration ratio solar collector andphotovoltaic converters 10. - Another embodiment covers
entrance window 34 with thinfilm UV filter 36 for even higher concentration ratio solar collector andphotovoltaic converters 10 as shown in enlarged view inFIG. 5 . - The height of
entrance window 34 ranges from approximately 30 degrees to 47 degrees. It is positioned on the face of solar collector andconverter 10 at predetermined optimal positions based on where it will be utilized, to compensate for variations in the angles of incidence of solar rays 30 for various latitudes. The width of theentrance window 34 ranges from approximately 120 degrees to 200 degrees to allow for the daily variations of the angles of incidence in a land based system. -
FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment of solar collector andphotovoltaic converter 10 for a water based mounting. It is comprised ofbottom enclosure 12 that is open to the top with a bottom reflectiveinner surface 14. This reflectiveinner surface 14 takes on the shape ofbottom enclosure 12.Top enclosure 28 is a transparent hemisphere with the same outside diameter asbottom enclosure 12. Top reflectiveinner surface 24 covers the inside oftop enclosure 28 with the exception ofinlet window 34 which runs completely around the circumference of top reflectiveinner surface 24. It is positioned on the face of solar collector andconverter 10 at predetermined optimal positions based on where it will be utilized, to compensate for variations in the angles of incidence of solar rays 30 for various latitudes.Photovoltaic device 20 is mounted toward the inside top oftop enclosure 28. -
FIG. 4 is a view of a section through solar collector andphotovoltaic converter 10.FIG. 4 shows longwavelength filter packet 16 that conforms to the inner surface ofbottom enclosure 12. Long wavelength filter packet 16 is a sealed packet of transparent flexible or rigid material filled withfilter fluid 18. Iffilter fluid 18 is water, a depth of approximately ½ inch is sufficient to filter out most of the radiation above 1.2 microns. Since solar rays 30 pass throughfilter fluid 18 the second time as they are reflected back throughfilter packet 16, a ¼ inchdeep filter packet 16 will suffice. Red, yellow, green and UV rays below 0.35 microns are also non-convertible by photovoltaic cells and can be filtered out by admixing appropriate dyes withfilter fluid 18. - In one
embodiment top enclosure 28 andbottom enclosure 12 are made from a rigid transparent material. In another they are made from a flexible material and the interior of the enclosure is inflated with a gas to give it shape.Inflation valve 26 is shown installed intop enclosure 28 for that purpose. In allembodiments output cable 22 is shown running fromphotovoltaic device 20 thoughtop enclosure 28 and connecting to either an energy storage device or directly to a power consuming device such as a light, fan, cellular phone charger, etc, not shown in the drawings or part of this invention. - Standard
photovoltaic devices 20 are able to convert photons of wave lengths between 0.35 and 1.2 microns to electricity. If the full spectrum of solar radiation were to impinge on the front surface ofphotovoltaic device 20, the photons above and below this range would only serve to heat thephotovoltaic device 20, significantly reducing the efficiency with which it converts solar radiation 30 to electricity. -
FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of solar collector andphotovoltaic converter 10 with mountingskirt 32 attached to the bottom ofbottom enclosure 12. This embodiment is designed for a ground installation. A clearing is constructed of sufficient diameter that solar radiation 30 is not blocked frominlet window 34 by surrounding buildings or vegetation. Solar collector andphotovoltaic converter 10 is then placed on a bare patch of earth or sand withinlet window 34 facing in a southerly direction for a northern hemispheric location or a northern facing location for a southern hemispherical location. Rocks, dirt or other routine anchor mechanisms can be utilized to hold mountingskirt 32 in contact with the ground and keep solar collector andphotovoltaic converter 10 in proper alignment. The earth, shaded by solar collector andphotovoltaic converter 10, makes a very good heat sink for the heat energy absorbed byfluid 18 infilter packet 16. -
FIG. 3 shows solar collector andphotovoltaic converter 10 floating on a body of water. In this embodiment,inlet window 34 runs completely aroundtop enclosure 28 since it is very difficult to maintain a South or North facing attitude with a floating on water installation. Incoming solar rays 30 penetrate transparenttop enclosure 28 throughinlet window 34 and pass through longwave filter packet 16 which is approximately ¼ inch thick and made from a either rigid or flexible transparent material. Afilter fluid 18 such as water will absorb most of the long wavelength radiation or infrared radiation above 1.2 microns that would heat thephotovoltaic device 20. Solar rays 30 pass throughfilter packet 16, reflect off of bottom reflectiveinner surface 14, and pass back throughfilter fluid 18. They continue to be reflected from the interiorreflective surfaces photovoltaic converter 10 throughinlet window 34 or impinge onphotovoltaic device 20. If desired, red, yellow, green radiation and ultraviolet radiation below 0.35 microns can be filtered out by adding the appropriate dyes to filterfluid 18. -
FIGS. 1 and 3 show section views of solar collector andphotovoltaic converters 10 withinlet windows 34 that have been tailored to a latitude approximately midway in the US. One of the objectives of this invention is a completely static system with no moving parts in order to retain scalability of the system without having to consider large motors embodied in a solar tracking system and to maintain the possibility of low to no maintenance. A practical system depends onreflective surfaces top enclosures inlet window 34 whose height is determined by the seasonal variation in the incidence angle of solar radiation at a given latitude. The width ofwindow 34 ranges from approximately 120 degrees to 200 degrees for a fixed position land based solar collector andphotovoltaic converter 10 as inFIGS. 1 and 2 and is circumferential for water mounted installations as inFIGS. 3-5 . -
FIG. 5 shows incidentsolar rays entrance window 34 of cross sectional area X.Solar ray 30A penetrates transparenttop enclosure 28 andUV filter 36 if present and the transparent material of top side wall offilter packet 16; passes throughfilter fluid 18 which absorbs about 50% of its long wave length radiation; penetrates the transparent material of bottom side wall offilter packet 16; is reflected from bottom reflectiveinner surface 14; passes back throughfilter packet 26,filter fluid 18 andfilter packet 16 giving up almost the remainder of its long wave radiation and impinges on the active face ofphotovoltaic device 20. -
Solar ray 30B will continue bouncing about theinside bottom enclosure 12 andtop enclosure 28 until it either hits the face ofphotovoltaic device 20 causing an electricity generating event or assolar ray 30C illustrates, escapes back outinlet window 34. The percentage of incoming light escaping randomly is roughly the ratio of cross sectional area X ofinlet window 34 to the total surface area of the bottom and top reflective inner surfaces Y. The concentrating factor of the device is the cross sectional area X−X/Y divided by the cross sectional area of the photovoltaic device Z. The bandwidth of acceptable light incident onphotovoltaic device 20 without causing overheating is determined by the concentration factor of solar collector andphotovoltaic converter 10. If the concentrating factor is 3/1, plain water will be quite acceptable asfilter fluid 18. If the concentrating factor is 10/1 or higher, filtration of the red, green, yellow and perhaps the UV are required to avoid dramatically reducing the efficiency of photovoltaic device by overheating.FIG. 5 shows the installation ofUV filter 36 attached to the underside ofinlet window 34 for such a case. - One of the other most vital human needs for individuals in remote areas or in emergency relief circumstances is often potable water. A serendipitous effect of solar collector and
photovoltaic converter 10 is the sterilizing effect that it has on filter water when sunlight is allowed to pass though it for several hours. For this purpose long wavelength filter packet can be drained of potable water and refilled several times per day providing again a subsistence level of potable water. - The preceding descriptions are for illustrative purposes and are not intended to limit the scope of this invention. The scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims rather than by the specific examples given.
Claims (9)
1. A solar collector and photovoltaic converter comprising:
a bottom of an enclosure with a bottom reflective inner surface;
a transparent packet of filtering fluid which is retained against said bottom reflective inner surface;
a transparent top of said enclosure with a top reflective inner surface with a inlet window in said upper reflective inner surface;
a photovoltaic device with a front face, mounted on the under side of said transparent top;
a power transmission cable connected between said photovoltaic device and an energy storage or consuming device whereby:
solar radiation entering said inlet window penetrates said packet of filtering fluid, impinges on said lower reflecting surface, is reflected back through said packet of filtering fluid and continues to bounce within said enclosure until it either strikes said front face of said photovoltaic device converting the filtered spectrum to electricity or escapes out said inlet window.
2. A solar collector and photovoltaic converter as in claim 1 wherein said filter fluid is water; and
after said solar radiation has passed through and been reflected back through said water for several hours said water becomes potable.
3. A solar collector and photovoltaic converter as in claim 1 wherein said filter fluid is chosen from a group that contains oils and water with red, yellow and green wavelength filtering chemicals.
4. A solar collector and photovoltaic converter as in claim 1 further comprising a skirt attached to said enclosure bottom that can be buried to provide for secure installation on bare earth.
5. A solar collector and photovoltaic converter as in claim 1 further comprising a seal between said top and bottom of enclosure whereby said converter can float on a body of water.
6. A solar collector and photovoltaic converter as in claim 1 wherein said top of said enclosure is chosen from a group containing a rigid transparent material and a flexible inflatable transparent material.
7. A solar collector and photovoltaic converter as in claim 1 wherein said bottom of said enclosure is chosen from a group containing a rigid material and a flexible inflatable material.
8. A solar collector and photovoltaic converter as in claim 1 further comprising a thin UV filter film covering said light inlet window whereby UV radiation is prevented from entering said window.
9. A solar collector and photovoltaic converter as in claim 1 wherein said inlet window in said top reflective inner surface is chosen from group comprised of windows whose width ranges from approximately 120 degrees to 360 degrees and whose height ranges from approximately 30 degrees to approximately 47 degrees.
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US11/713,225 US20080210291A1 (en) | 2007-03-02 | 2007-03-02 | Solar collector and photovoltaic converter |
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US11/713,225 US20080210291A1 (en) | 2007-03-02 | 2007-03-02 | Solar collector and photovoltaic converter |
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US (1) | US20080210291A1 (en) |
Cited By (8)
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ES2339415A1 (en) * | 2008-09-16 | 2010-05-19 | Rodolfo BERTOCCHI | Flux Tailored Converter of Radiatio |
US7793652B1 (en) * | 2008-03-01 | 2010-09-14 | Domingo Delgado | Solar operated water heater |
US20100254251A1 (en) * | 2009-04-01 | 2010-10-07 | Moser Baer India Limited | Articles involving encapsulation of hygroscopic materials |
US20110247682A1 (en) * | 2010-04-09 | 2011-10-13 | Solar Foundries, LLC | Solar Balls: Solar Collection System for Any Climate |
US20120167949A1 (en) * | 2010-12-29 | 2012-07-05 | Coolearth Solar | Method of enhancing irradiance profile from solar concentrator |
US20130145538A1 (en) * | 2011-12-07 | 2013-06-13 | Alessandro Seccareccia | Pool cover with heater |
US20170324373A1 (en) * | 2016-05-09 | 2017-11-09 | Solar Mobility, Llc | Photovoltaic collector |
KR20190113733A (en) * | 2018-02-05 | 2019-10-08 | 주식회사 아이엔오기술 | Floating solar power generating system |
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Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
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US7793652B1 (en) * | 2008-03-01 | 2010-09-14 | Domingo Delgado | Solar operated water heater |
ES2339415A1 (en) * | 2008-09-16 | 2010-05-19 | Rodolfo BERTOCCHI | Flux Tailored Converter of Radiatio |
US20100254251A1 (en) * | 2009-04-01 | 2010-10-07 | Moser Baer India Limited | Articles involving encapsulation of hygroscopic materials |
US20110247682A1 (en) * | 2010-04-09 | 2011-10-13 | Solar Foundries, LLC | Solar Balls: Solar Collection System for Any Climate |
US20120167949A1 (en) * | 2010-12-29 | 2012-07-05 | Coolearth Solar | Method of enhancing irradiance profile from solar concentrator |
US20130145538A1 (en) * | 2011-12-07 | 2013-06-13 | Alessandro Seccareccia | Pool cover with heater |
US20170324373A1 (en) * | 2016-05-09 | 2017-11-09 | Solar Mobility, Llc | Photovoltaic collector |
KR20190113733A (en) * | 2018-02-05 | 2019-10-08 | 주식회사 아이엔오기술 | Floating solar power generating system |
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